Insert Generic Romance Title Here
by Joker's Specter
Summary: Isaac doesn't want to date, but his mother thinks differently. The Djinn, having much respect for Dora--or so we think--decide to show Isaac what it would be like if he were to date our favorite girls! Silly Djinn... Incomplete
1.

**"Insert Generic Romance Title Here"**   
...no, seriously...this has no name. 

  


**By Joker's Specter**

  
  
  
    

**Spur of the moment writing! I don't know what I'm going to write about, but I'm just going to let it flow out of my head and into this little story... Even I don't know what will come out of it!  
  
    -Joker
**

  
  
  


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**Disclaimer:**_ I don't own Golden Sun...instead, it's rightfully owned by **Nintendo** and **Camelot**. (Yes, Nintendo owns it more than Camelot.)_

  
  


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"Gah!" shouted Isaac, throwing his hands in the air. "Jus' leave me alone about it!"   
  
    "Oh, but dear... What about Mia? She's such a nice girl..." pressed Dora, Isaac's mother. She ruffled her son's hair, and said, "You're almost eighteen and you've never had a girlfriend! You should start dating, like all the other young men in this town."   
  
    Isaac groaned and rolled his eyes. He leaned forward and allowed his head to smack onto the surface of the table. No matter how many times he told his mother, she just never seemed to get it...   
  
    "The other young men...as in Garet?" asked Isaac, turning his head on the table to look up at his mom with one eye. "Garet, who freaks out every time Jenna threatens him...giving us a clear idea that he's scared to date, and probably won't for awhile? Or Felix, who doesn't hit it off very well with strangers...let alone girls that he _does_ know?"   
  
    Dora bit her lip, thinking of a good response.   
  
    Isaac shut his eyes, and waited patiently for yet another comeback that would lead to him saying almost the exact same thing.   
  
    "Well...Mia seems to be interested in you. Haven't you noticed the way she laughs at your jokes?"   
  
    Rolling his head around again to stare at the counter, Isaac said, "So do Sheba and Jenna."   
  
    The golden-haired boy instantly regretted saying that.   
  
    "Hey, yeah! What about Jenna? You two have been best friends for years! You already know what you need to know about her...you'd be a perfect couple!" replied Dora suggestively.  
  
    "No, mom, we wouldn't be perfect... We're friends, and nothing more. That's how it is with Mia and Sheba, too."   
  
    The silence that followed gave Isaac hope that his mom was finally beginning to understand that he just wasn't ready to fall in love. Isaac's tilted his head a few millimeters, waiting for his mom to reply, hoping that the reply would be something in his favor.   
  
    Unfortunately...  
  
    "What about Kay? She's always been nice to you..."   
  
    Isaac's eye began to twitch, and a low growl began forming inside him. He would rather be locked in a battle using his scarf as a weapon than continue this conversation. The teenager abruptly jumped out of his seat, surprising his mother.  
  
    "Where are you going? I still want to talk to you!" she exclaimed, using a tone that would make most people feel a little guilty for just walking out. It didn't work on Isaac, because he was ignoring her. Shrugging off her calls to come back, Isaac exited his house and stomped down the path leading to the Plaza.  
  
    "Where does she get the idea that I _want_ to date?!" Isaac asked aloud to nobody. "I don't want to do that kind of stuff yet! I just want to have fun!"   
  
    "Oh?" said a small voice in his head. "I heard dating is fun, though..."   
  
    One of Isaac's Djinn had decided to speak up. He didn't really know which one, since they all sounded the same...   
  
    "Where'd you hear that?" asked Isaac, a little more angrily than he had intended.   
  
    "Wow, somebody's angry..." said a Djinni. "Perhaps you should explain to your mother how you feel."   
  
    Isaac literally screamed out loud. After he had finished, he glared up at the sky, and shouted, "What do you think I've been trying to do?! You think I've been telling her over and over again that I don't _want_ to fall in love right now so she has something to gripe over?!"   
  
    After a few moments of silence, Isaac thought that the Djinn had decided to leave him alone.   
  
    Rubbing his hands through his hair, he began walking again, only to be stopped yet again by his little Djinn friends.   
  
    "You should think it over... The bringing together of two elements is a very amazing thing, Isaac. Trust us, we're experts on this."   
  
    Isaac shut his eyes, and muttered, "I don't think my mom was talking in terms of Adept elements...I think she was talking in terms of 'I want to make sure you get a girlfriend _now_, so that I won't die before I see your wedding'. That's how my mom is; you guys just don't know it yet."   
  
    "Well...that's probably a result of us not having a mother..." stated one Djinni.   
  
    Isaac continued walking. "Doesn't matter...my mom has got to be the worst of them all when it comes to this kind of thing."   
  
    "That's not a nice thing to say, is it?"   
  
    "I could say worse."   
  
    "You should at least listen to her, Isaac. Maybe build mental scenarios in your mind of what it would be like to date one of the girls. You may find out it's not as bad as you make it sound."   
  
    Isaac shrugged. "Why do that? I already know it will be a horrible mess. I've read books like this...where one falls in love and their feelings get crushed when the girl runs off with another man."   
  
    The Djinn were silent yet again. Isaac raised an eyebrow as he walked slowly, waiting for a response.   
  
    "They have that kind of thing in books?" one of them squeaked.  
  
    Isaac nodded, and said, "Yeah..."   
  
    "What was the book called?"   
  
    "Oh...er...I can't remember...something with girls leaving guys...but that's not the point," he said, rubbing the back of his neck. "The point is that I see no reason to have a girlfriend right now."   
  
    Isaac was just outside of the Plaza when his vision suddenly blacked out. "_H-Hey!_" he shouted, "_what's going on_?" The teen grabbed for his sword out of habit, only to realize two things. The first was that he had forgotten his sword, and the second was that he didn't have hands.   
  
    "Don't be alarmed, Isaac... We're using our powers to show you what it might be like to date the girls, judging by what we know about them and yourself," said the Djinn in unison.   
  
    "_What_?! That's ridiculous!" He yelled. A few seconds later, his face became distorted with confusion. "Wait, you can do that? Create images in my head, I mean..."   
  
    "Of course! We do it all the time, you know. In fact, we have taken part in forming your dreams, as of late..."   
  
    Isaac let out a "Wow..." before realizing something. The dream he had last night was a particular X-rated dream.   
  
    "Hey! You guys are _sick_!" he shouted, playing the dream over in his head...which was odd, because he was basically in his head at the moment.   
  
    The Djinn began to chuckle, and one of them said, "Well, we never said we wouldn't have some sort of fun with them..."   
  
    "Yeah, you never said that because you never _told_ me you messed with my dreams!" shouted Isaac angrily.   
  
    Isaac began ranting on about wanting to be able to move again, and see for that matter. Moments later, a brilliant light flashed into his field of vision, and a scene began playing out.   
  
    "Wha?" he said in surprise.   
  
    "Just watch..." muttered a Djinni. "We're only doing this because we respect your mom."   
  
    "Yeah! She feeds us candy!" said another.

  
  
  


****

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_"C'mon Isaac! You have to hurry!" shouted the voice of Dora.   
  
    "I'm coming, just give me a second..."   
  
    "Okay! You don't want to be late, though!" Dora responded.
_

  
  
    

Isaac (the non-dream version) looked around. "What's going on?" he asked.   
  
    "Shh, no talking..." responded the Djinn. "It could mess us up...we're trying to give an example of what it would be like if you and Mia were to go on your first date."   
  
    Groaning, Isaac rolled his eyes - or he would have, if he had them. "So I'm stuck here...involuntarily watching some pieced together show?"   
  
    "Hey! It's not *pieced together*! We're doing this as we go! It's very hard, too...we have to reach into your memories to get personalities, and other related things."   
  
    "Well, that sounds like it's pieced together to me."   
  
    The Djinn chose to ignore this remark, and they continued on with their little dream-sequence.

  
  
    

_The scenario was obviously inside Isaac's house, and Mia was standing at the bottom of the stairs next to Dora, slightly blushing as Dora yelled up to Isaac.   
  
    "So! Isaac's first date!" said Dora, smiling at Mia. "Is it your first date too?"   
  
    "Yes, it is," said Mia quickly, "I was glad to accept the offer, though." Smiling sweetly, Mia averted her gaze to the top of the stairs where Isaac had appeared.   
  
    The golden-haired Adept slowly descended, shifting his gaze from his mother, to Mia, then back to Dora.   
  
    "Well, I'm ready," he said when he reached the bottom.   
  
    "Of course you are! Now get going you two...you don't want to waste precious moments!" Dora smiled brightly, guiding the two teenagers to the door by their shoulders.
_

  
  
    

"Hold it!" shouted the non-dream Isaac. The scene abruptly paused. "What's wrong with my face?!"   
  
    A few giggles could be heard from the various Djinn. The dream-version Isaac's face had been replaced with a Mercury Djinni's face. It looked _very_ demonic...and not natural.   
  
    "Just having a little fun... Besides, Mia loves the Mercury Djinn! Just think if you had the face of one, she wouldn't be able to resist you!"   
  
    Isaac made a gagging sound. "That's just...not right...really, please...if you're going to waste my time with this, at least do it right."  
  
    "Ah fine...we wouldn't want to make you angry."   
  
    Isaac could have sworn the Djinn were being sarcastic.   
  
    The scene before him began to change, and soon dream-version Isaac's face was changed back to his regular human face. Instantly, it began to play again.

  
  
    __

"Er...bye mom," muttered Isaac as Dora pushed the two of them out the door.   
  
    After the door had slammed behind them, Isaac heard a cry of triumph from the other side.   
  
    "Sorry about her...she's not usually like that..." said Isaac apologetically, turning to glare at the wooden door.   
  
    "Oh, that's okay...I think she's nice," responded Mia, smiling, and also turning to look at the door.   
  
    The two of them stood in silence for about fifteen seconds, just looking around and moving their hands nervously.   
  
    "Well, let's get going," Isaac said finally, looking at Mia for the first time since they had exited the house, "it should be dark soon."   
  
    "Okay. Um...can you tell me where it is we're going?" said Mia as the two of them began walking away from Isaac's house. She continued to look straight ahead, but would glance over at Isaac every now and then.  
  
    "Yeah, we're supposed to be going up a little higher in the mountains... Just, don't ask...my mom planned it out."   
  
    Mia giggled. "She's just one of those people who love their family enough to plan their lives?" She smiled sweetly, looking over at Isaac.   
  
    "That's a big understatement... I think ever since I came back with my dad, she wants to know everything that's going on with me...going as far as planning my life."   
  
    "I understand," said Mia, laughing lightly. Isaac looked at her with raised eyebrows. "You do? I...I thought..." he said, trailing off before he could finish. "Well...never mind..."  
  
    "No, it's okay... You can say whatever you want to. You're probably wondering how I can understand, even though my parents died...right?" said Mia, blushing slightly. It was unnoticeable, however, because the sun had just finished disappearing behind the mountains.   
  
    Isaac bit his lip. "Erm...yeah...if you don't mind telling me... I'm just curious, is all..."   
  
    Mia cleared her throat. "Well...actually...I think that I'm the overprotective one in most cases... So I guess I understand it more in your mom's point of view than yours."   
  
    "Uh...like how?"   
  
    "Oh, you know...my grandparents... I tend to get a little carried away in telling them what they can or can't do. It's...it's for their own good, though...it's for their health," said the blue-haired girl. She looked down slightly.   
  
    Isaac chuckled a little. "Actually, comparing you to my mom...I'd much rather have you interfere with my life than her."   
  
    Mia quickly looked up in surprise. "R-Really?" she asked.   
  
    "There's no doubt there. At least you wouldn't be pressing me to marry the next girl I see..."   
  
    Blushing madly, Mia asked," She...she said that?"   
  
    Isaac paused to help Mia ascend a rockier part of the trail. "I'm pretty sure it was in there with all of that 'Get a girlfriend, let me cut your hair, tell Garet to stop eating our food' speech.   
  
    Mia laughed again, causing Isaac to smile.   
  
    "Hey, I never told you this before...but I really like your laugh," commented Isaac. He finished helping her up and wiped his sweaty hands on his pants. He noticed that Mia's were sweaty too, most likely out of nervousness.   
  
    Blushing at the comment, Mia said "Thank you," and looked around the area they had just come to.   
  
    They were on a small ledge covered with thick grass that overlooked all of Vale. The sound of a waterfall could be heard in the distance, and the stars and moon shone down brightly, illuminating the ledge with a magnificent twilight. 

  
  
    

"Oh please! Now you create a fake ledge?! There's no place like that in Vale!" interrupted the real Isaac. The scene stopped yet again.   
  
    "Yes, we know. Sorry to say this, Isaac...but Vale is a very boring town." said a Djinni.  
  
    Isaac was offended by that, since he had been one of the main designers for building the new town, after Mt. Aleph had crushed the first one. "Hey! Well...it...it can't be much better being trapped in any Elemental Stars for hundreds of years!"   
  
    "Actually, it was great in those things! We had _cities_ on them! Theme parks, mansions, training arenas...it was great! Well...eighteen mansions to be exact," responded the Djinn excitedly.   
  
    Being at a loss for words, Isaac just said nothing. He didn't even know what a theme park was.   
  
    The Djinn took his silence as a cue for them to continue. The scene started up again. 

  
  
    

_"You know, Mia," said Isaac, turning to look at the girl's beaming face. Mia had instantly fallen in love with the romantic feel that the area was giving off. "I figured we'd just try to have fun, and not do any real 'date' stuff, if you know what I mean... We could tell jokes, stories, maybe even go and get the others to have fun with us...whatever."   
  
    Mia's expression fell slightly. She was looking forward to spending a peaceful night alone with Isaac, even though she was very nervous about it. "Oh..." she said, trying to look for something better to say.   
  
    Isaac noticed her expression had declined, and quickly said, "Erm...unless you want to make this a real date. I'm not really sure what we could do, though... I think my mom just planned on us staring up at the sky, or something..." Isaac said, feeling stupid.   
  
    "No, no...that's...that's okay," said Mia, trying to smile. Isaac could see that it was fake, though. Mia never was very good at hiding her feelings properly.   
  
    "Ah...well, you know what? Let's just lay down on the grass...we'll find something to do that'll interest us both," said Isaac.   
  
    Mia nodded in agreement, smiling for real this time. Isaac grinned, and led her to a good spot on the grass for them to lie down on. The golden-haired boy situated himself in a reclining position, and Mia did the same next to him.   
  
    Isaac sighed, and put his hands behind his head. He stared up at the moon, admiring how bright it was.   
  
    "Well, this is nice..." he said, turning to look at Mia. He was a little surprised to see her staring at him.   
  
    She blushed a little, and turned to look up at the moon quickly. A moment later, she said "Yes...it's very peaceful..."   
  
    Isaac kept his eyes on her face, almost as if in a trance. The light tone of her skin reflected the moonlight, making it seem as if she was glowing.   
  
    Something took over Isaac. He didn't know what it was, but he suddenly wanted to be more than just friends with Mia. He almost felt as if he was developing new feelings for her.   
  
    The teenager reached over and grabbed Mia's hand in his own. Mia tilted her head in surprise, looking down at her hand, then back at Isaac. His eyes were staring at her own, surprising Mia even more. Her cheeks instantly turned pink.   
  
    "Sorry," said Isaac quietly. "I just wanted to hold your hand..."   
  
    Mia opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out. Instead, she just nodded. Isaac smiled, and turned to stare back up at the moon.   
  
    Mia imitated the act, squeezing Isaac's hand a little, as if making sure it was there... 
_

  
  
    

The scene ended abruptly. As soon as it was over, Isaac quickly said, "That's it? That wasn't the whole date..."   
  
    The Djinn sighed. "Well, that's just a sneak peak of what _could_ happen... Like we said, we're just simulating, not showing what would happen for sure," said one of the many Djinn.   
  
    "Well, personally...that wasn't too great. We were nervous the entire time, practically sweating rivers...and I shot off my mouth more than Garet would in that situation."   
  
    "No, not really. That was a pretty accurate example of how you would act," said the Djinn coolly.  
  
    "I doubt it. I've never been on a date, so how would you know how I'd act?"   
  
    "Well...we just figured it be the same as if you were going to fight the Doom Dragon. Remember? You were nervous, but tried to stay calm at the same time."   
  
    "_That's_ how I acted when we were going to the Mars Lighthouse?!" exclaimed Isaac in disbelief.  
  
    "Pretty much...the biggest differences were that there were different objectives, and we replaced the Doom Dragon with Mia."   
  
    Isaac laughed...not because he found it funny, but because he thought his Djinn had finally gone nuts. "So you're saying that if the Doom Dragon wasn't trying to kill me, and it wasn't my dad and Jenna's parents, _and_ I was on a date with it...I'd fall in _love_ with it?!" He laughed again.   
  
    "Not at all. If you added the fact that it was a female healer with a pure heart...then yes, you probably would fall in love with it."   
  
    Isaac raised an eyebrow - or he meant to...he didn't have control of them at the moment, and said, "Okay, y'know what? I want you guys to leave me alone now...let me have control over my body again. I'm sure people would find it odd to find me lying on the ground outside of the Plaza, unconscious."   
  
    The Djinn muttered something in between themselves.   
  
    "What? What was that?" asked Isaac.   
  
    "Erm...actually Isaac, you aren't laying on the ground. See, you know there's nine of us...and, well, we don't need that many to create dream sequences. Therefore, four of us are working with you...and five of us are controlling you. As of right now, I believe your body is speaking to Mia..."   
  
    Isaac gasped in surprise. "_What_?! No! I want out! I don't want to be talking _without_ actually talking!"   
  
    The Djinn all laughed. "Don't worry Isaac, we're careful... We've still got some more to show you. We're going to show you what it would be like to date Jenna next!" the Djinn said, as if it were a _good_ thing.   
  
    "Wha?! No! She'd try to _help_ my mom plan the date!" shouted Isaac.  
  
    "Yes, that's what we thought too...so that's how the dream will start out."   
  
    Isaac screamed a long, loud scream. Unfortunately, nobody could hear it. 

  
  
  


****

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**_Meanwhile, in the real world..._**

  
  
    

"Isaac? I don't understand...you're acting very strangely..." said Mia, more than a little concerned.   
  
    "What's not to understand?!" shouted "Isaac", grinning from ear-to-ear. "I just want you to help me make a mural in my room for my Venus Djinn!" 

  
  
  


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**End:** Chapter One.

  


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	2. 

**"Insert Generic Romance Chapter Title Here"**   
...no, seriously...this chapter has no name. 

  


**By Joker's Specter**

  
  
  
    

**Well, I'm not going to lie to you...there's a good possibility that half of this chapter will be responses to reviews... What do I have to say about it? Simply this: You all rock! Since there were so many reviews, I'll have to answer them at the end of the chapter.  
  
    But, seriously...I don't think I deserve them all. I think it's just because the title was eye-catching. That's why, right? Right?!   
  
    Anyway, there are better stories out there, written by far better authors than me, that don't get nearly enough reviews. Some of those authors take that as a sign that they should stop, and it's a pity... I wish that I could make one review count for more, so that next time I review a fantastic story that doesn't get hardly any reviews, the author will take that as a sign that they should write even more. Erm...sorry if I rambled on there and didn't make sense.  
  
    -Joker
**

  
  
  


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**Disclaimer:**_ I don't own Golden Sun...instead, it's rightfully owned by **Nintendo** and **Camelot**._

  
  


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"C'mon guys... This will only make things worse," said Isaac, pleading to his Djinn to stop their little dream-creating. "It will only go downhill from here!"   
  
    "Not necessarily... Jenna relates to you fairly well...probably even more-so than Mia," stated a Djinni.   
  
    Isaac didn't really understand what they meant, but he was going to continue fighting them. He didn't want them to win this...he wasn't going to be forced to see something that he didn't want to see.   
  
    Even if it meant fighting dirty...   
  
    "Wow," said Isaac, "I never thought that my own Djinn could be more stubborn than Garet's Mars Djinn." He spoke loud, clear, and with feeling. Dirty fighting, indeed...   
  
    All at once, the Djinn gasped.   
  
    The two parties were silent for a moment. After a few seconds, Isaac heard a few quiet sniffs of a Djinni crying.   
  
    "You...you made Granite cry!" shouted a Djinni.   
  
    "I-I'm Vine," sobbed the crying Djinni. Isaac made decided he'd try to make a mental note of who was who, so he knew which Djinn he would blame the most for this catastrophe that they referred to as "helping".   
  
    "Er...you made Vine cry!"   
  
    Isaac only felt slightly sorry. "Well, you Djinn won't listen to me!" said the Adept in his defense.   
  
    Another short moment of silence passed.   
  
    "Nobody makes my sister cry and gets away with it..." muttered the supposed lead Djinni. Isaac assumed it was Flint. "There, there... It's okay, Vine..."   
  
    "Hey! Stop touching me!"   
  
    "Oh, sorry Granite..."   
  
    "No, I'm Bane!"   
  
    "...I thought you were going to be the one controlling Isaac's legs."   
  
    Bane laughed. "Yeah...funny story, actually. Ground came up to me and asked me if he could have that job. He said that he needed to kick Garet.   
  
    "Erm...why? What did Garet do?" Flint asked.  
  
    "Oh, uh...somethin' 'bout Garet feeding him salt and saying that it was 'Special Djinn Food'..." replied Bane.   
  
    Flint gasped. "_Ground ate Salt_?! I thought I saw Salt the other day with Felix, though!"   
  
    Vine began to cry harder, and Isaac just yelled in anger at the news of Ground planning to kick his best friend.   
  
    "I thought you were going to be careful with my body!" he shouted. "That means _no_ kicking my friends!"   
  
    "Fine time to yell! I just found out my brother was cannibalized by my other brother!" responded Flint. Vine's crying almost drowned out his voice. Isaac didn't hear anything from the supposed fourth Djinni that was there.   
  
    Bane sighed, and shouted louder than all of them combined. "Salt is not dead!"   
  
    Flint responded rather quickly. "You never lie! Salt _must_ be dead!" he said, now crying himself.   
  
    Isaac mentally kicked himself for waking up this morning.   
  
    Speaking of kicking...

  
  
  


****

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"So this mural that we're painting... Um...why?" inquired Mia, walking with Isaac to his house. She was standing a few feet away from him, and looking at him like he had just been turned into a Venus Djinn.   
  
    Which wasn't too far from the truth...   
  
    She didn't feel too comfortable near him at the moment, because his arms were flailing in all directions (the result of being controlled by two separate Venus Djinn), he had a really goofy grin on his face, and he would shout every time he would speak.   
  
    "Well," he said, much louder than a normal Isaac would, "I just looove my Venus Djinn so much... I can't really see why I never made some sort of tribute to them before! He must have been really stupid!"   
  
    "He...?"   
  
    "Erm...'I'...that's what I meant," responded Isaac.   
  
    As the pair broke past a line of trees and came upon a group of houses, one of which was Isaac's, the Venus Adept started to run. Not towards his house either...but towards Garet's.   
  
    "Isaac! What are you doing?" yelled Mia, calling after Isaac.   
  
    He still wore a goofy grin across his face, and his arms were still flailing, but he was definitely even more non-Isaac now. "I'm...not sure..." he yelled back. In a lower voice, he said, "Ground! Where are you going?"   
  
    "I've got a Mars Adept to kick," Ground replied, panting slightly. He couldn't be seen, but he could definitely be heard. "Just play along, Quartz."   
  
    "Erm...okay...I guess..." replied Quartz, who controlled all of Isaac's head.   
  
    Everything seemed to be going as Ground had planned for his revenge against Garet. He was going to kick Garet like Garet had never been kicked before! However, problems always arise...even in the best plans...   
  
    With the lack of previous communication to Sap and Crystal, who were controlling the arms, Ground forgot that arms just don't open doors themselves, and he propelled the body of Isaac right into Garet's door.   
  
    After the initial _THUD!_, the slightly odd grin disappeared off of Isaac's face, and he fell backwards, bleeding from the nose.   
  
    Quartz cried out in pain as Isaac's head smacked into the ground.   
  
    "So..." said Quartz, using what remained of his energy to lift Isaac's head and look down at the two feet, which were still running despite the lack of something to run on. To an observer, it would appear that Isaac was having a seizure...with the flailing arms and running legs, it looked like Isaac was possessed.   
  
    Which, for lack of a better term, he was.   
  
     "How exactly is that kicking Jenna?"   
  
    "Garet...not Jenna," muttered Ground. He stopped Isaac's legs. "And I didn't realize that Sap and Crystal don't know when to open doors..."   
  
    "You were going too fast!" yelled Sap.   
  
    The Djinn all groaned when they heard Mia running up and calling to them. Well, calling to Isaac anyway...   
  
    "A-Are you okay?! I saw you run into the door!" she exclaimed, kneeling down next to Isaac and steadying his arms.   
  
    "Oh...yeah, I'm fine... Just a, uh...cramp in my legs..."   
  
    "Hey! Don't go calling me a cramp!" squeaked Ground.   
  
    Mia jumped up in surprise, staring at Isaac's legs.   
  
    "Did...did your legs just _talk_?" she questioned, wide-eyed and really confused.   
  
    Isaac's eyes widened as well. "No! No, he - er - 'they' didn't say anything!"   
  
    Mia didn't seem to notice the "he" mistake. Instead, she just shook her head, as if she were going crazy, and bent down next to Isaac again, glancing at his legs a few times.   
  
    "Oh, you're bleeding!" she said, examining Isaac's injured nose.   
  
    The thing about that, thought, is that Isaac didn't even realize it. 

  
  
  


****

** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** **

  
  
  
    

"S-So...Salt isn't digesting as we speak?" asked Flint.   
  
    "Exactly. I meant _table_ salt...not our brother Salt," said Bane. He had just finished a long explanation of how Flint had made a mistake. The explanation also had a few hidden subliminal messages that Flint was an idiot.   
  
    "Well, _that's_ a relief. He owed me money," said Flint, quickly losing his sobbing tone of voice.   
  
    "No...Echo owed you money," corrected Bane.   
  
    "Oh...right."   
  
    Isaac had only one thing to say after the Djinn conversation ended.   
  
    "Wait...you guys have money? What do you use it for?! Sacrifices to Iris?!" he asked.  
  
    The Djinn were silent yet again. Not even Vine was making a noise, even though she was still shaken up from the previous hurtful events. Flint finally spoke after Isaac repeated himself again.   
  
    "Actually, the main thing we've been doing with our money is saving it for something. Other than that, we just give it to your mom to buy us candy."   
  
    "What, in all that is Earth, Fire, Water, and Wind, would a group of Venus Djinn want to save money for!? I still don't even believe that you buy candy!" said Isaac.   
  
    The answer to Isaac's question was simple enough...unless you were Isaac. Then it just made you even more confused and/or angry.   
  
    "...Paint."   
  
    Isaac was once again left in disbelief and shock by his Djinn.   
  
    "_Paint_?! What in the name of Iris would you want _paint_ for?!"   
  
    Flint fumbled with the answer. After a few unsuccessful tries that resulted in him saying "Um..." or "Well, you see..." or "You may want to kill us for this...", he decided to just take a different route.   
  
    "This conversation has gone off the topic! Time to show you what it would be like to date Jenna!" he exclaimed.   
  
    "No! I want an answer!"   
  
    "Okay Granite, do your thing!" said Flint, ignoring Isaac's cries.   
  
    "I'm Bane..." 

  
  
  


****

** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** **

  
  
  
    

"Here, hold this up to your nose to stop the bleeding while I heal you," said Mia, pulling out a cloth and placing it in Isaac's hand.   
  
    "Oh...right...hold it up to my nose," said Isaac. He lifted his head up and looked at his hand. "All I need to do is bring my hand up and put the cloth on my nose," he said, loud enough for a certain Venus Djinni to hear.   
  
    Isaac's hand twitched, and then rocketed towards his face, jabbing the cloth into his eye.   
  
    "_Argh! Sap! I'ma kill you!_" shouted Isaac, throwing his head left and right, trying to get the cloth out of his eye. "Get it off! Get it off!" he screamed.   
  
    Mia gasped. "D-Did you call me a sap?" she asked, her lip quivering slightly. "What did I do?"   
  
    Quartz, who was the one in control of Isaac's head, yelled (using Isaac's mouth). He couldn't see how both Sap _and_ Mia didn't take the obvious hint to remove the hand out of his eye. And, I'm not going to lie to you here, but...having a cloth jabbed into your eye and then held there doesn't really feel all too good. In fact, Quartz downright hated it.  
  
    "_For the love of Venus, just get the hand away from my eye!_" he screamed.   
  
    _Finally_ getting the hint, Mia reached down, grabbed Isaac's wrist, and slid his hand off of his face.   
  
    "I'm so sorry!" said Mia, even though she didn't know that she hadn't done anything wrong. "Here, let me heal you right away!"   
  
    The Mercury Adept managed to pull off a quick heal over Isaac's face, giving Quartz relief from the pain. Sap and Crystal managed to restrain themselves from laughing, and Ground was kicking the door, trying to get it open...which actually worked, because it made it seem like Isaac was kicking the door in pain.   
  
    "Just hold still," said Mia soothingly. "I'm almost done."  
  
    The constant kicking on Garet's door seemed to get the attention of someone on the inside. Because usually, when there's something knocking at your door, it means you open it.   
  
    Ground had just learned that.   
  
    "Wha...Isaac? Mia, what's going on?" asked a red-haired girl who was about Felix's age.   
  
    "I don't know, to tell the truth... Kay, do you think you could help me move him to his house? He's been acting very strange... I'm not sure if Ply will cure him of it, either," said Mia, turning to look at Kay.   
  
    "Oh...I see... Well, why don't you bring him in here for now? Garet and I just finished having a little talk about why he stays out of my room," said Kay, smiling slightly.   
  
    Quartz's attention was finally brought to it's full on the situation at hand.   
  
    "Wait, what?" he asked as Isaac.   
  
    "It's okay, Isaac. We're going to let you get some rest," said Mia.   
  
    "Here, I'll help you carry him," said Kay, opening the door wider and walking out. She grabbed Isaac's legs, while Mia stood up and grabbed Isaac's arms.   
  
    "Wait! W-Wait! The mural! What about that?!" asked Isaac as the two girls moved him inside.   
  
    Mia looked down at Isaac with concerned eyes. "That doesn't matter right now...you need rest," she said.   
  
    As the body of Isaac disappeared inside the Jerra household, people could hear him yelling "_No! The mural! The muraaaaallll!_" 

  
  
  


****

** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** **

  
  
  
    

_"Hi Isaac! Ready for our date?" asked Jenna, smiling brightly at Isaac as he descended his stairs. Dora, who was standing next to Jenna, was smiling even brighter.   
  
    "Oh sweetie, you're going to have so much fun!" she exclaimed, bending down and hugging Jenna.   
  
    Isaac couldn't tell if she was talking to him, or to Jenna...  
  
    Either way, he wasn't sure he could agree. The Venus Adept made sure both of them knew this, too. "Now listen...we've been friends for a long time, so I don't want this to get...weird..." he said, rubbing the back of his neck.   
  
    "Oh, don't worry about something like 
_that_ Isaac... We'll just have fun with it and see where it goes from there!" said Jenna, giving Isaac some reassurance.   
  
    A tiny smile appeared on Isaac's face. Jenna always did try to keep Isaac's good mood in tact, even if she wasn't in a very good one herself.   
  
    "Well, go on you two! I'm sure you'll have a wonderful time!" said Dora, pushing them to the door.   
  
    Jenna turned to look back at Dora. "Don't worry, me and Isaac always have fun!"   
  
    The two Adepts exited the house. Isaac was slightly uncomfortable with the idea of dating one of his best friends, but Jenna didn't seem to feel awkward at all. She linked her arm around Isaac's, and led him to their destination, which she and Dora had decided on.   
  
    "We'll have lots of fun, Isaac," said Jenna, turning to look at her date. "I've made sure we'll be doing something you enjoy!" She grinned, and turned back to looking ahead.   
  
    It's true that Isaac always enjoyed Jenna's company, and this was no exception. Isaac decided it wouldn't be too bad to have his first date with his life-long friend.   
  
    "So...can you tell me where we're going?" asked Isaac. He noticed that they were headed to the Plaza.   
  
    Jenna smiled sweetly. "That would give away the surprise, so...nope!" she said, winking at Isaac.   
  
    Isaac laughed lightly, and said, "Okay...I'll find out soon enough, anyway. He noticed that Jenna was really, really having fun, even though the date hadn't even officially started.   
  
    Those are the advantages to planning the date...   
  
    A few minutes and restrained laughs from Jenna later, the two of them were standing at the door of a house. Isaac knew that a family of four lived in the home; two children and their parents.   
  
    "I think I'm even more confused than before. I'm feeling like Garet here," said Isaac, scratching his head and looking at Jenna with a confused expression.   
  
    Jenna flashed another smile at him. "Just a little longer," she said.   
  
    The door opened and the husband and wife of the home stepped out. Both of them were dressed in fancy clothing, giving Isaac a vague impression that Jenna had somehow managed to make their date a double-date, despite the fact that neither Isaac nor Jenna knew the couple 
__that_ well.  
  
    "Thank you so much for doing this," said the wife, putting on her shoes. "Howard and I have been searching for a babysitter for so long! We thought we may have to postpone our anniversary date!"   
  
    The two adults rushed off, leaving one surprised Isaac, and one laughing Jenna to the house.

  
  
    

"Erm...babysitting...?" asked Isaac. The Djinn stopped the scene.   
  
    "Sure!" said Flint. "And this way, that woman will owe me money for babysitting her kids!"   
  
    Isaac groaned. "Two things... First off, it's not you who is babysitting...it's me and Jenna. Second, I think you should fully be aware that this isn't real."   
  
    "Well...it _could_ be real. You just have to make it happen... And, if it does happen, then I should get the babysitting money," replied Flint.   
  
    Thinking the best to ignore that, Isaac said, "Yeah, but why babysitting? Whatever happened to that fake ledge thingy?"   
  
    Flint's reply was, "The ledge was scrapped... As for the babysitting...just watch." 

  
  
    

_"So...?" said Jenna, turning to look at Isaac.   
  
    Isaac was wondering just how he had ended up babysitting while dating. It was like being paid to get to know someone you already knew everything about.   
  
    Actually...that wouldn't be too bad.   
  
    "Aren't you going to ask why we're babysitting?" question Jenna.   
  
    Isaac nodded and said, "Yes...I was hoping you'd tell me that. It'd kinda what friends do these days..."   
  
    Jenna laughed again. "Well, just think about it... You love helping people, and I love kids. This way, it's a win-win deal."   
  
    Isaac thought that over and realized that she was right.   
  
    "You know...you just never cease to amaze me, Jenna."   
  
    Jenna grinned, and pushed Isaac lightly. "I know. Let's go say hi to our new little minions," she said, grabbing Isaac's hand.   
  
    Isaac smiled. "Yeah...we'll teach our 'minions' how to have a first date...through example. 
_

  
  
    

"Okay...now you're _positive_ that's how I would act?" asked Isaac. "Personally, I'm not too fond of babysitting..."   
  
    "Yes, we are. You're right, also, about not liking babysitting."   
  
    "Well of course I am...I think I would know what I like and don't like."   
  
    "Er...yeah. Anyway, you never did like to make people unhappy, and Jenna is no exception. So we're going to have you make the best of the date by keeping Jenna happy. That's what you would do, correct?"   
  
    Isaac started to say yes, but stopped himself. Instead, he said, "Stay out of my brain!"

  
  
    

_"Ew! They're holding hands!" said the 5-year old boy, Graham, when Isaac and Jenna entered the room.   
  
    His older sister, Cathy, looked up from her puzzle. "Wow! Are you two in 
_love_?" asked the 6-year old.   
  
    Isaac looked down at Jenna, who returned the action and looked up at him. Even though he knew he may regret it later, something in Jenna's eyes told Isaac that he should humor the kids.   
  
    "Of course we are!" he said, smiling at Jenna, and then turning to grin at the kids. "And, to tell you the truth...it's nothing to say 'Ew' about."   
  
    Cathy stood up. "Have you ever 
_kissed_?" she asked, widening her eyes a little. Her question was followed by Graham saying, "Ewww!"   
  
    Jenna, jumping in on the act, said, "Oh sure! you can't be in love unless you've kissed."   
  
    Graham gasped. "Does...does that mean my 
_mom_ loves me?"   
  
    Jenna giggled. "Well...yes, but a different kind of love."   
  
    Cathy, even more interested in the two teenagers, said, "Can you kiss 
_now_?"   
  
    Once again, her echo was "Ewww!"  
  
    Isaac felt Jenna's hand begin to shake lightly. "Oh...uh..." she said, looking over at her date. "I...can we, honey?"   
  
    The golden-haired teen bit his lip. He certainly wasn't expecting anything like a request to kiss happen...in front of spectators.   
  
    In the end, he decided that since Jenna was one of his best friends, and that the so-called spectators were just kids, that kissing Jenna shouldn't be too big of a deal. "I guess so.." he said. "I mean...they're just kids, right?"   
  
    Jenna's eyes brightened slightly, and her smile reappeared in its rightful place.   
  
    Right..." she said.   
  
    Isaac nodded. "Well...okay...here goes, then."   
  
    The Venus Adept turned his body to Jenna, and stepped closer. Jenna, starting to blush, did the same, never taking her eyes off of Isaac's.   
  
    They slowly leaned their heads closer to each other, breaking eye contact only to look at each other's mouths. Finally, their lips met and their eyes shut.   
  
    And then the scene stopped...
_

  
  
    

If Isaac had a seat, he would be on the edge of it. "Hey...what happened?" he asked, looking around the blackness.   
  
    "Oh...sorry...seems Granite fell asleep there," said Flint, yawning.   
  
    "Fell asleep?! _Now?!_" yelled Isaac. "But...it's at the best part!"   
  
    "Yeah...sorry...lemme wake him."   
  
    So, Isaac had to wait until Flint woke up Bane, calling him Granite, and then Bane explaining to Flint that he is not Granite, and that Granite hasn't even shown up. After that, Flint said, "Oh...", and then Bane started up the scene again, reminding everyone how boring it was. 

  
  
    

_Their lips met, and their eyes shut. For about five seconds they held the kiss, neither daring to move any muscles. They eventually pulled away after shouts of "Wow!" and "Ewww!" were heard.   
  
    Isaac just stared into Jenna's eyes, and Jenna stared into Isaac's. Neither said a word. Both, however, were very much excited. 
_

  
  
    "So...that's it then?" asked Isaac once the scene ended.   
  
    "'Fraid so."   
  
    "Well...I've got to say that I don't really think I'd kiss Jenna and instantly fall in love with her. I don't see any realism there..."   
  
    Isaac's comments were instantly buried when Vine said, "But what if you've always loved her?"   
  
    There's no doubt that Isaac was shocked by that. He didn't speak for nearly thirty seconds.   
  
    He decided he should say something after Flint said, "Sheba next."  
  
    "Er...Sheba? But she's younger than me..." Isaac said quietly, still not fully away from thinking about what Vine had said.   
  
    "So? Your parents have a five year age difference," said Flint.  
  
    Isaac couldn't deny that. Still, he wasn't comfortable with the idea of dating Sheba...even if it was fake.   
  


* * *

  


**End:** Chapter Two.

  


* * *

  
  


**_Reader Spotlight_**

  
  
****

[ ] = Signed Reviews   
  
{ } = Anonymous Reviews 

  
  
  
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[The Faction's Lord]  
  
_Ah, thanks man, I'm glad I took your constructive criticism right. Poor Isaac indeed..._

  
    ****

{Rach+Kai}  
  
_Here you go and you're welcome!_

  
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[Wolf Demon]  
  
_Let's skip right to the important part of your review... Curse the early bus, indeed! No, no, I'm just kidding...but I do hate that early bus, as well... Now, as for managing this along with my 6+ stories (yes, there are more...just not typed), well...that's why a few of my other stories are going to be ending soon. Also, I don't intend on this being too long of a story._

  
    ****

[Dracobolt]  
  
_You know what? I don't hear the word "cute" very often when describing my stories...it's really nice to hear it again after so long! Thank you._

  
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[Tetra Seleno]  
  
_I'll refer to the other review you left me on the forum. I took your advice and gave the Djinn their much needed names. Also, thanks for saying that the title is the best ever... I thought it would be eye-catching, but definitely not worthy of comments like that._

  
    ****

[The 8BTFreek]  
  
_Wow, thanks! Loving a fic, even though it has elements in it you don't enjoy...that's pretty awesome._

  
    ****

[roc-girl]  
  
_Ah, good...that's the part I put most of my time into...I'm glad you enjoyed it._

  
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[cheetah7071]  
  
_I'm hoping this chapter did Valeshippers justice... I'm not...uh, used to writing Isaac/Jenna...but I tried. If it sucks...well, I'll keep trying in future stories. I'm trying to open up to more pairings._

  
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[Lord Cynic]  
  
_I thought of the title before I thought of anything to do with the story...it's really interesting how it worked out, though, isn't it? My intention was to write a romance story...and it turned into this little humor/romance story._

  
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[Queenie Z]  
  
_Yay, another "cute" comment! To tell the truth, cute isn't what I was going for...but then again, I'm not even really sure what I was going for in the first place... Sorry that you got confused..._

  
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[myname]  
  
_Well, my intentions weren't really to convince people to go on dates...but if that's what happens, it'd be pretty cool. Thanks for reviewing!_

  
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[Lord Isaac]  
  
_Man...sometimes I think I NEED to run out of ideas. I actually have about three or four stories in planning (a few of them written up a bit), and ready to be turned to once I need ideas. And I'm pretty sure they're fairly original, too... One last thing...go ahead with pointing out my mistakes. I actually prefer if people pointed stuff like that out._

  
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[MercuryAdept]  
  
_Yes, it is just a vision...but then again, so was the mudshipping. I'm trying to be fair to both Valeshippers and Mudshippers here...since I seem to have a pretty decent amount of both reading this story. SoC schedule for update sometime within a week... I'm having trouble dropping my humor side to write it..._

  
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[Jake Delfeir]  
  
_The title says it all, hehe. Thanks for the comments! I'll try to keep it funny._

  
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{Itzel}  
  
_I think I've seen one Isaac/Sheba story before... I could be wrong, though._

  
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[Jupiter Sprite]  
  
_Well, like it says in the summary...they're doing it out of respect for Dora... Or ARE they? Mwuahahaha! ... Yes, the Isaac/Sheba sim will be the hardest for me to write...I can already inform you on that. Still, I think it will be a good challenge... Thanks for the comments!_

  
    ****

{khmerboi919}  
  
_Beyond great?! Wow...to be honest, I've never got that comment before... Thank you! Oh, and I will keep it coming._

  


* * *


	3. 

**"Insert Generic Romance Chapter Title Here"**   
...no, seriously...this chapter has no name. 

  


**By Joker's Specter**

**  
A small side note: The squirrel belongs to Queenie Z.   
  
Oh yeah, and I took the reader spotlight out of this chapter. It was getting too long. Thank you very much for the reviews none-the-less. I appreciate it. Hopefully I can get the next chapter up a little faster. One last thing... This chapter ended before I've finished writing about the date with Sheba. I'm sorry about that, but I felt the chapter was getting too long as it was, and I didn't want it to drag on. Next chapter I'll move for some more original stuff. The date with Sheba will conclude next chapter. Also, I'm leaving for vacation, and I didn't think I'd have time to make the entire date look real, which I think it needs to be because Isaac and Sheba aren't a common pairing. Anyway, enjoy!   
  
Oh! One last thing...the Genie Dolls...well, Genie is another name for Djinn or Djinni, I think. I can't remember where I found it. Oh well, it works.  
  
-Joker**

* * *

**Disclaimer:**_ I don't own Golden Sun...instead, it's rightfully owned by **Nintendo** and **Camelot**._

* * *

Within the Plaza of Vale, there is a small building. This building is a resource for all that you could need. That is...if all that you need is along the lines of Herbs, Antidotes, and other small items that are usually found after killing a monster.   
  
Outside of the building, there was a sign. It was a fairly new sign, placed out in front where every one could read it. A small ring a scorch marks on the ground surrounded it. In bold letters, it read:

**_Item Shop_**

  
_ For all your lesser item needs! We carry herbs! And...well, that's about the best item we have! _

Below that in even bolder letters, it said:

**Garet Jerra is hereby _BANNED_ from this shop for the following:   
  
_-Destruction of our old sign, which we loved dearly.  
-Being drunk at the time of said destruction.   
-Scaring customers. They were about to buy some herbs!   
-Excessive nudity.   
-Flirting with our store clerk after she kindly told him not to.   
-Attempting to kiss our store clerk after she told him to go away.   
-Not buying anything.   
-Screaming at a squirrel and throwing our items at it.   
-Plotting the destruction of our town with said squirrel, even though everyone knows squirrels can't understand humans...especially one as drunk as said banned citizen. _**

In young Garet's defense...the squirrel had shifty eyes, so he would totally go along with a destruction-of-Vale plan.  
  
Inside the store, the female clerk was busy at work, doing what she did every day while working.   
  
The young woman hummed quietly to herself, stopping every now and then to take a sip of her water. She didn't move her feet at all, and would stare straight ahead. She carefully placed her mug of water down on the counter in front of her, and continued staring ahead at the door in front of her. After a few minutes, she reached down and carefully pulled out a rag from under the counter, unfolding it so slowly, that you'd think if she went any faster her grandmother would spontaneously die.   
  
Changing the tune that she was humming, she placed the rag on the counter top and then moved it side-to-side, wiping it across the already perfectly clean counter.   
  
This was definitely not her day...   
  
Normally, her item shop would be packed with so-called heroes and adventurers, out to save the world/love interest/game designer's credibility. On many occasions all three.   
  
But alas, today her shop was empty. Possibly because of that destruction-of-the-sign event occurred the previous day, or possibly because today, nobody felt like they would need to buy an herb.   
  
"We really need to stock some chicken dinners..." the girl muttered. Sighing, she began cleaning the counter in wide strokes, oblivious to the other figure who had just entered the shop.   
  
"Um...excuse me..." said a voice, waking the girl up from her day dreaming of being a protagonist in Golden Sun 3, and not just another shop keeper. The girl jumped, and looked around.   
  
"Sorry...I didn't hear you come in!" she said apologetically, feeling a little stupid, because she couldn't see anyone. The clerk looked around again, blinking in confusion.   
  
"Quite alright, ma'am... I require your assistance," squeaked the voice again.   
  
The clerk realized that it was coming from below the other side of the counter. Leaning over, she poked her head over the side to see who was talking.   
  
"Gah!" shouted the clerk. She jumped back, then quickly jumped forward again to look at the creature standing before her.   
  
"Heh, shoulda expected that," said Granite, looking down at himself. "I guess I do look a little bit like a monster..."   
  
The stunned clerk was shaken, but managed to lean forward even closer. Her wide eyes seemed to grow even wider, and her face paled. "It...it can't be!"   
  
"Eh...what?" questioned a confused Granite, tilting his head.   
  
Leaning forward even closer, the girl gasped, and said, "They have talking versions of the Genie dolls?! _When did they make those?!_" It was obvious that she was very excited.  
  
Granite's eyes were blank. He had no idea what the girl was talking about, and made sure she knew this.   
  
"What's that? Genie dolls?" the Djinni asked.   
  
The girl squealed. "And it responds too!"

What Granite didn't know, is that a Genie doll is a stuffed toy based on the looks of the four types of Djinn. They were made years and years ago, back around the time Alchemy was locked away and people knew what the Djinn looked like. Back then they had various names, and the group of people who created them knew them as Genies. The only way one could ever find a doll anymore is to hope that one of the families who had lived in the area for a long time still kept one, handing it down to their kids.

"My grandpa would be so happy to see that they're making Genie dolls again! And now they talk!"   
  
Granite was still confused.   
  
"Do you run off of a Psynergy stone? Or is it a type of magic?" questioned the clerk.   
  
"Actually, my energy is drawn from the Earth particles around me. It's really a complicated-" Granite started, only to be interrupted by the girl.   
  
"When did they start making more dolls of you? Can you say that type of thing? Are you some type of advertisement?" she inquired. Leaning forward, she poked Granite in the forehead, making him flinch.   
  
"What is _wrong_ with you woman?! I just want to buy some paint!" he shouted, jumping back in surprise.   
  
"Paint? Are you supposed to come with paint accessories? I only have real paint for shields...but that's for humans, not cute little Genie dolls!" said the clerk.   
  
Granite had all the information he needed. He only needed to find a place where they sold paint, and then report back to Flint. Now that he had found out this place carried paint, he wanted to get out of there as fast as possible. Probably because of the annoying store clerk. Nodding to the girl politely, Granite ran out of the store--not so politely.   
  
"Wait! Let me look at your label! I want to know where I can buy one!" the young woman called after him. However, he was already gone.

--------

"So...Sheba next...?" asked Isaac. "Doesn't that just strike you as a little odd? I mean... Mia and Jenna I can understand, but I don't see Sheba and I as a good couple..." said Isaac, wanting to wrap up the whole thing so he could get back to controlling his body.   
  
"Eh...well, we can do a simulation of you and Menardi instead, if you'd like," said Flint. He'd been wanting to say something like that for awhile now. He half wished that Isaac would agree, too, because he knew he could have a lot of fun doing a simulation like that.   
  
Isaac shouted out in surprise. "Gods no! That's...that's just not right!" he yelled, trying to block out the images of Menardi kissing him as Jenna had.   
  
Flint snickered. "Why not? She's attractive..." responded the Djinni, knowing full well that Isaac thought differently.   
  
Isaac was officially disturbed now.   
  
"Yeah, right... Two problems with this whole thing..." muttered Isaac after he made a mental note to get drunk and forget the new images he had conjured. "One...no, she's not attractive... Maybe if I were a Proxian. Two...she's _dead_, remember?"   
  
Another chuckle was heard from Flint. Sighing, he said, "It wouldn't hurt to show you what it would be like just for fun..." Flint was hoping that Isaac would either agree with him, or tell him to forget it and show him his "date" with Sheba.   
  
Isaac decided to take the coward's way out and change the subject. He didn't want to risk anymore of his precious sanity. He was already planning on burning his scarf when he got back home, just because he had imagined Menardi wearing it.   
  
"How about you guys just let me have control of my body back?! I'm not kidding around anymore!" he exclaimed.   
  
Flint made a sound of agreement. "Yeah...I understand fully. Unfortunately, we need to keep you occupied for the next hour or so..."   
  
Isaac felt as if his stomach had decided to gain a mind of its own and travel down to meet his toenails.   
  
"_What?!_ Why? What are they doing with my body?" he quickly asked after the sinking feeling stopped getting worse.   
  
Flint mentally cursed at himself. "Huh? What?" he said, pretending he didn't know what was going on.   
  
"You said you had to keep me occupied, and I want to know what for!"   
  
"Erm...no I didn't..."   
  
Bane, possibly the smartest of three present Djinn, decided to be dumb at that moment. "Yes you did..."   
  
Well...dumb, or evil.   
  
Flint began to get nervous. "Granite...don't lie..."   
  
"I'm Bane, and I never lie, remember?" Bane stated.   
  
Isaac was beginning to lose his patience. "Well?" he said angrily. His tone of voice reminded him of Kay when Garet did something to her stuff, and wouldn't confess to it.   
  
Coughing nervously, Flint muttered something under his breath, allowing only his fellow Djinn - Bane and Vine - to hear. Then, in a much louder voice, he said, "We are doing this out of respect for Dora. Now go ahead and start the simulated date, Granite!"   
  
Both Isaac and Bane rolled their eyes in disgust. They could agree on one thing, even though it was for different reasons: Flint never listens.

--------

"So do you know what's wrong with him?" asked Kay, struggling not to drop Isaac as she helped Mia carry him to a couch.   
  
Oddly enough, it seemed as if Isaac _wanted_ to be dropped. He wasn't shy about letting the two girls know that either.   
  
"Let me go you Mercury and Mars fiends!" he - or rather Quartz - said.   
  
Kay raised an eyebrow. "Hmm... Isaac never talks like that... That sounds more like something Garet would say," she told Mia.   
  
Mia nodded in agreement. "Poor Isaac. He's very ill, but we can't figure out with what..."   
  
"Oh, so you don't know what's wrong with him then," said Kay, understanding the situation a little more.   
  
"I'll tell you what's wrong with me. I've got two lesser element nitwits carrying me like a rag doll, who have no respect for Venus!" I want to get that mural painted!" Isaac yelled, moving his arms and legs in an odd manner. The action only made Kay and Mia quicken their pace.   
  
Kay looked down at Isaac with a look she rarely used on anyone but Garet. "Now listen here Isaac. I don't care if you _are_ sick... You are being extremely rude, when all we're trying to do is help you... I don't want to hear any more of this 'lesser element' stuff...otherwise I really _will_ treat you like a rag doll!" she said harshly.   
  
Mia widened her eyes, surprised to see someone other than an enemy speak like that to Isaac. At the same time, she was surprised that Isaac was insulting Mercury and Mars. He had always shown respect for all elements.   
  
"Wow...you became angry fast..." said Mia quietly.   
  
Kay shrugged, and said, "Well, he may not be Garet, but he really is acting somewhat like him...so it comes naturally, I guess."   
  
The two girls maneuvered themselves and Isaac's struggling body to Kay's and Garet's couch.   
"Garet!" shouted Kay, calling to her younger brother.   
  
The response she received was both quick and loud. "I'm not in your room...again!" Garet replied, a hint of nervousness in his voice.   
  
Kay groaned and rolled her eyes. "Come down here and help us!"   
  
The house was silent. Kay and Mia placed Isaac on the couch, using their body weight to pin his arms and legs down. Meanwhile, Isaac was concentrating on throwing the two girls off of him so that he could move freely.   
  
Moments later, Garet's voice was heard yet again.   
  
"Why?" he asked. The nervousness in his tone had increased.   
  
Kay moved her body so that she was sitting on Isaac's legs.   
  
"Because something is wrong with Isaac! He's...he's acting a lot like you!" said Kay. She looked down at Isaac and bit her lip. "I fear the worst for him..." she said sadly to Mia.   
  
Mia couldn't tell if Kay was joking or being serious. Either way, she just nodded and said, "Yeah..." quietly.   
  
The sound of Garet running down the stairs could be heard. A few seconds later, he slowly appeared in the room, looking around for any sign that he had done something wrong.   
  
"What'd you say 'bout Isaac?" he asked walking slowly to where the two girls had Isaac pinned.   
  
"I'll tell you what they said!" growled Isaac. "They won't leave me alone so that I can pain my mural!"   
  
Garet scratched his head. "Eh...that doesn't sound like what they said..." he stated with a confused expression.   
  
"Well...whatever. My point is-"   
  
Isaac was cut off by a voice that sounded like it was coming from under Kay, where Isaac's legs were. "Is that Garet? Lemme kick him! Or at least have Sap hit him!" it squeaked.   
  
The room fell silent, and went still. Even Isaac - or at least his arms - stopped struggling. All eyes fell on Kay. Or rather...   
  
"Kay? Did...did your butt just _talk_?" asked a stunned Garet.   
  
Kay, meanwhile, was looking down at Isaac's legs.   
  
"I-I'm not sure..." she managed to say.   
  
Mia had a mixed expression of confusion and surprise. She opened her mouth several times, attempting to speak, but failing horribly. Garet was trying hard not to laugh, and praying to Mars that they would hear the voice again so that he could be sure he had heard anything in the first place.   
  
Kay was shifting around, trying to see what had spoken. Finally, she decided she would see better if she wasn't sitting down, and then jumped up, off of Isaac's legs. She spun her head around to look at her pants.   
  
Isaac bit his lip, hoping that they would just forget about the whole thing. He (Quartz) made a mental note to injure Ground when this was over.   
  
"I'll repeat myself for good measure. Kay, did your butt just talk? I need to know whether I'm still drunk or not..." Garet stated clearly. A huge grin was plastered across his face.   
  
"I think...that it was Isaac's legs," said Kay, raising her eyes to look at Isaac.   
  
"Oh sure, 'cause that makes so much more sense..." said Garet, using large amounts of sarcasm.   
  
Kay turned around for a few seconds to glare at her brother. "Actually, yes, it does make more sense that way," she muttered, looking back to Isaac.   
  
Garet scratched his head. "Huh...yeah, I guess it does make more sense..." he said.   
  
Mia nodded, and said, "I heard his legs talk just when we were outside too...it's as if Isaac's...possessed..." she said quietly.   
  
While the other three Adepts pondered on what had happened, Isaac was having a battle with himself. Or at least that's what it looked like. His left hand was slapping his leg, while he bit his right hand, which was pinching his chin.   
  
Apparently his possessors weren't doing a good job collaborating with each other.   
  
While Garet, Kay, and Mia sat there, thinking that things couldn't get any weirder, they were immediately proven wrong by the appearance of Granite, hopping into the room.   
  
"Oh...hello... I was told I probably would find Isaac here..." he said while Garet, Kay, and Mia all looked at him with confused expressions.   
  
"Um...well, have fun with whatever you're doing," he said quickly. He bobbed his head twice, and then hopped over to Isaac's body. With one final leap, he launched himself into the air. In a flash of light, his body split into an aura of sorts and was absorbed into Isaac's body.   
  
"Oh...um...welcome back Granite..." muttered Isaac, trying to avoid the various confused looks that his fellow Adepts were staring at him with.

--------

_ "I have a very special event planned for you two!" exclaimed Dora, trying not to smile _too_ brightly, but failing for the most part. "I've got the whole town involved for this one!"   
  
Isaac yelped in surprise, and Sheba's eyes grew to the size of large eggs.   
  
"What?!" shouted Isaac, finally understanding why Dora had kept to herself over the past few days, and why she had made him stay in his room for the better part of the day.   
  
"Well...I thought that we could hold two events at once! Your date, and a carnival to celebrate your success with your quest, and our success rebuilding Vale!" Dora said while grinning.   
  
Isaac groaned and put his face into his hands. He wished he had a chair to sit down in, because he felt like falling over. Unfortunately, Dora had removed all of the chairs from their kitchen--which is where they were. When Isaac had asked where the chairs had gone earlier, Dora just said "You'll see," and winked.   
  
That was a firm clue that something very bad was happening. Bad, that is, if you were Isaac.   
  
Isaac looked around again, longing for a chair. After a few seconds, he muttered, "Ah, whatever..." and sat down on the floor, wearing a scowl that would scare anybody except for a mother. And maybe Dullahan...   
  
Another unfortunate coincidence, seeing as how Isaac's mother is the one he would have liked to scare off at the moment.   
  
"Oh stop acting like that!" said Dora, putting her hands on her hips. "It's very childish!"   
  
Isaac snorted. "Well, when my mother decides to stop running my life, then I will!"   
  
Dora tilted her head. "But...I'm your mother."   
  
"I know!"   
  
Missing the obvious, Dora shrugged, and said, "Anyway, get up off of the floor. Childish or not, there's a young lady here who is ready to have a great time tonight with you at the festival!"   
  
Dora's enthusiasm sickened Isaac. He looked up at Sheba, almost wishing that she would ask not to go, and instead do something else. Something that involved less people.  
  
Being met with silence, and a tiny smile from Sheba, Isaac decided he'd try again.   
  
"Mom, I don't exactly want to be around the entire town while on a date..." Isaac responded, looking back up at Dora.   
  
Dora laughed, shaking her head slowly. "Well, I wouldn't worry about _that!_ Kraden can't make it, because he'll be busy perfect some new formula or another."   
  
Isaac wasn't surprised about that. No, what surprised him the most is that his mother actually thought that one person not attending the festival would make a difference.   
  
Then again...it _was_ Kraden. In all reality, that did make things slightly better. Isaac shuddered at the thought of Kraden telling him stories of how romantic he was in his youth again. Last time he told stories like that, he had to stop Garet from jumping out of Kraden's window.   
  
"Anyway, I'm sure you'll have fun! I've arranged for dances, music, food, games, and a few other things!" exclaimed Dora.   
  
Sheba's eyes lit up. "That does sound fun...sort of like the festivals in Tolbi!"   
  
Making a face, the blonde-haired girl said, "Those were the only things I enjoyed in Tolbi."   
  
Shaking his head, both in disgust and defeat, Isaac stood up. Now that Sheba wanted to go, there wasn't anything he could do. Unless hiding under his bed was a rational option.   
  
Which it wasn't.   
  
"Fine, fine...I'll go...as long as nobody stares at us..." said Isaac, hanging his head.   
  
"Oh, that's fine. I'm not having them put up the 'Isaac and Sheba are on a date! Congratulate them!' banner until later in the evening after all the little ones go to bed. We wouldn't want them teasing you!" said Dora.   
  
Biting his tongue, Isaac dug his fingernails into his palms. After a few seconds of venting, and a realization that his palms and tongue were hurting, Isaac said, "Gee...thanks mom..." Sarcasm was showing its ugly face all over what he had just said.   
  
"Okay, we'll all head down in about half an hour... Make sure you don't eat anything!"   
  
Isaac grabbed his scarf and waved it around like a flag. Rolling his eyes, he said, "Woo-hoo..." monotonously. _

--------

All at once, the scene stopped playing. Isaac looked around, wondering what happened. It was then that he noticed that the blackness around him was a little lighter before. He took this as a sign that his eyeballs had either started to bleed, or that the Djinn had done some redecorating.   
  
"So...what do you think?" asked Flint.   
  
Isaac was silent for a moment. He wasn't sure what Flint was talking about. Slowly, a thought entered into his mind.   
  
"Wait, that's it?!" he questioned.   
  
"Er...of that scene, yes..."   
  
"Oh, so there's more, right?"   
  
Now it was Flint's turn to be silent. He couldn't believe that Isaac was asking to see more. He had taken a lot of time to make this particular scenario very tormenting.   
  
"You...you liked that scene?" asked the Djinni in amazement.   
  
"Oh...well, yeah, I guess. I mean, it's kinda funny...but only because I pretend that it's Garet in there instead of me," replied Isaac.   
  
Vine giggled. "That's what I did, too!"   
  
Isaac chuckled, and sighed. "Yeah...poor Garet...getting put in that situation..."   
  
Not sure how to handle the current situation, Flint muttered a few inaudible words. After a moment of recollection, he snapped back to his senses.   
  
"But, that wasn't Garet! It was you!"   
  
"Well, sure...but it's all fake anyway, right? I may as well make it at least a _little_ entertaining."   
  
Flint was getting angry. Isaac was making this very difficult for him, and that was just downright mean.   
  
"Alright, Isaac. How about we just show what it would be like if you dated Garet, then? Heck, we won't even use things from your memories! We'll just make the entire thing up!"   
  
All of the sudden, a loud rumbling shot through the area around them.   
  
"Gah! What was that?!" shouted Flint.   
  
"Er... I'm thinking you snapped his brain..." muttered Bane.  
  
"We aren't even _in_ his brain! We're more in his heart, if anything!"   
  
Bane noted that, and rephrased what he had said. "Okay then, I think you stopped his heart... Where we come from, I think that's considered killing somebody."   
  
Vine gasped. "You killed Isaac!" she sobbed. "Murderer!"   
  
"No! I didn't! You can't kill somebody by telling them you'll show them what it would be like if they date Garet!" said Flint. Under his breath, he added, "C'mon, say something Isaac!"   
  
"Well...that would kill _me_," Bane stated.   
  
"You're not helping!" yelled Flint.   
  
While Vine cried, Bane shook his head, and Flint yelled at them both, a figure appeared in the grayness around them.   
  
"Hey guys! I'm back!" announced Granite. "Good news! That one shop carries paint."   
  
"Granite! Flint Killed Isaac!" screamed Vine before going back to her crying.   
  
"Eh...what?"   
  
"I did _not!_ He's just..." Flint started, searching for a good word to use that wouldn't cause Vine to cry more.   
  
"Um...well, anyway...sorry about my entry into the body there. You know how it is with us Venus Djinn... I'm going to go tell Quartz the good news, so we can head down there and buy it. Just keep Isaac busy a little longer, and we should be fine," said Granite with a confused tone of voice.   
  
The Venus Djinni left as quickly as he could.   
  
Flint went over in his mind what Granite had said. Something seemed to stick out about it.   
  
"Hey, that's it! Granite's the reason the place shook up!"   
  
Vine's sobs began to decrease, and Bane mumbled something under his breath.   
  
"Isaac?" called Flint.   
  
There was no answer.   
  
"Hmm... It seems the mentioning of him dating Garet, combined with the shock of Granite entering the body, sent him into some type of stunned mode," concluded Bane.  
  
"Heh," laughed Flint nervously. "Um...Isaac?"   
  
After a moment, a low, but strong voice said, "If you ever even think of showing me what it would be like if I dated Garet...I will kill you. I swear to you, I will. I will bring more pain to you than you've ever experienced before... I will give you thousands of paper-cuts and rub lemon juice all over them. I will drop you on Garet's hair. I will, and I mean it, make you suffer."   
  
Apparently Isaac was fairly mad.   
  
"Oh...um...sorry...yeah, no more of that," Flint said, going over the scenarios of pain in his head. "Um, Bane? Will you start up the simulation again?"   
  
"With undying pleasure, oh great one..." said Bane sarcastically.

--------

_ "So! Here we are, at the festival..." said Sheba, more nervous than excited. The walk down from Isaac's house was full of awkward silences. The most they had said to each other was, "Oh, are you okay Isaac?" and "Yeah, yeah, I'm fine. Didn't see that rock there..." when Isaac had tripped.   
  
"Yeah, here we are..." muttered Isaac, looking around for anybody he was friends with. Even though it was a date, he wanted to be around other people so he felt more comfortable. Sheba was mysterious to him, in a way, and it made him uncomfortable when she was around him. It didn't help the matter when he remembered that she could read minds.   
  
"Anyway, what would you like to do first?" Sheba asked, standing still and looking around at all of the games.   
  
Isaac scratched the back of his head, observing the various stands. "I'm not sure...I'm still shocked at how much work my mom put into this thing. It's like she'd been planning it for a long, long time..."   
  
"Heh, maybe she has..." said Sheba, pointing to Dora. Dora was parading around giving out orders to the people working the games and food stands.   
  
Sighing, Isaac turned to look at Sheba. "Listen," he said, "I'm sorry that my mom's making such a big deal about this... I think that if it gets too out of hand, we should leave."   
  
Sheba smiled. "Well, thank you for caring. Still, you're mom put a lot of work into this... I would think she'd be hurt if we left," she said, scanning Isaac's face.   
  
Isaac smiled slightly, sensing that Sheba was just trying to be nice. "Yeah...you're right, I suppose. Looks like we're stuck here... I might just have to win you a stuffed Djinni to make up for it," he said, pointing to one of the game stands.   
  
Giggling, Sheba nodded. "Okay then, let's go see if you can win me one."   
  
The pair walked over to one of the game stands. It was at that moment that Isaac began to feel more comfortable with Sheba. After all, she was his friend. He had no reason to be uncomfortable._

* * *

****

**End:** Chapter Three.

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